Metanoia (Shirbert AU)

Epilogue Pt.2: Sense and Sensibility

A/N: Gil and Anne are 30 throughout most of the chapter. Dora and Davy are also mentioned in this chapter. For those of you that have not read the original AOGG books, Dora and Davy Keith are twins that were taken in by their father's third cousin, Marilla Cuthbert, after the death of both their parents. Oh, another thing, unlike the original books, Matthew is still alive and strong.

Song: Photograph by Ed Sheeran
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Third person POV:

Five years have passed since Anne and Gilbert swapped their vows at the altar, and since then they have managed to bring four healthy children into the world. Joyce was the most anticipated child considering she would have been their first. Unfortunately, however, she had a heart defect and hadn't made it passed a day before going through congestive heart failure.

Jem, their oldest son was born a year later. And to the young parents' joy; he was birthed without complications. The year following that, the Blythes were blessed with another healthy child. Their second oldest son, Walter.

In the span of time when Anne had been pregnant with Walter, the couple cashed out a plot of land that encased their sacred oak tree. By the time Walter was born, their new house was completed by the help of friends and neighbors who have volunteered to help with the construction.

Then a few months later, Anne is awoken by the familiar urge to throw up and eventually they find out that she is pregnant with what they thought would be their fourth child.

I say this because not only was she carrying their fourth offspring, but also their fifth because they found out that they were having twins. The birth of Nan and Diana Blythe had undergone many complications, but to their fortune, all three made it through without problems.

Now just over a year after the twins were born, they sat under their oak tree as the older kids played amongst themselves. And Anne and Gil each with a baby in their arms basked in one another's presence as they updated each other on Avonlea's current news.

Calm silence fell upon them with only the sound of children playing to fill the quietness. Anne's thoughts drifted and she contemplated the years and memories that led up to this point in her life. How had they gotten here? Fourteen years ago she tried to ignore the fact that Gilbert even existed. Always refused any attempt he tried to become her friend. But now they sat under a tree, unable to imagine a world without each other. A tree where they had made a silent agreement, years ago, that it would forever be their spot.

Anne smiled to herself as nostalgia pulls her back to their young and naive times. Though she looks back at her younger self in disbelief now, she is grateful for those achingly stubborn moments. Anne was indebted to her courage for being able to accept the love that was so willingly given to her those many years ago.

It would only be right, that the first to love her would be the only one she could ever love. The thought of such a poetic notion brought warmth and comfort to her heart. It is much more romantical than any fairytale her imagination could have conjured up.

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Gilbert's POV:

I released a sigh of content as I closed the front door behind me. Davy and his sister Dora have just left with the kids. Anne and I were appreciative for the Cuthberts and the twins for agreeing to watch the kids two days a week so we can have some quality time together. Besides, the kids loved to help their grandpa tend to the horses anyway.

With the house quieter, the stress that often weighed on my shoulders had begun to ease. I smiled to myself as I made my way to the back porch where Anne sat, indulged in a book. The floorboards creaked below me as I closed the sliding door.